


Changeling

by RogueCompanion



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, Changelings, F/M, Grave digging, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Romance, finding belonging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-12 22:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21233924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueCompanion/pseuds/RogueCompanion
Summary: A mysterious stranger stumbles upon a troubled Rey and offers his help. He may just know more about her than she does herself.





	Changeling

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for Day 1 of Reylo Monster Week - Myths and Lore. I'm very behind in participating this week, but I hope you enjoy this story! I borrowed from a few different places for the lore of changelings.
> 
> This work is not beta'd so all mistakes are my own. Hopefully, it's not too awful!

[ ](https://imgur.com/tMnb8oo)

She had been a sickly child, that’s why her parents abandoned her, they thought she was a changeling. Or so she’d always been told by Mama Maz, the kindly forest witch that took her in when she found her wandering the woods barely old enough to walk, let alone speak. A note had been fastened to her clothing, begging the fairies to return their child in exchange for any riches her peasant parents could get their hands on.

Maz took her in, and nursed her to health, nothing but a bit of colic she claimed. She taught the child to survive in the woods, to protect herself. But most of all, she taught her love and in return Rey loved the woman who had become her mother more than anything.

This is why when Maz took ill, it broke Rey’s heart. She put her very soul into caring for the woman. Making sure she was well fed and bathed, ensuring she slept as much as she could. Rey couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. 

When Maz finally did succumb to her illness and leave the mortal plain, Rey was devastated. There had only ever been the two of them, so it was left to Rey to perform a proper burial for her mother. It took her several days to be able to dig a hole deep enough by herself, in the meantime, she’d had to gently roll the woman up in her bed linens, and move her to the shed, where the cool late autumn air would keep any smell at bay until she could lay her to rest.

When the grave was finally ready, Rey went to move Maz to her final resting place. But when she realized she had no way to gently lower the woman down she fell to the ground next to her body and wept. 

She barely registered the footsteps approaching her, but when she did, she jumped up screaming, tears streaming down her face, brandishing her shovel as a weapon. The man who was approaching her paused, arms in the air as a show of surrender. 

“Please, I mean you no harm. I heard your crying and came to see if you were ok.” He spoke gently, trying to calm the distraught woman.

“I’m fine!" She shouted. "Who are you? What are you doing out here? You need to leave, right now.” She spoke with finality, shaking in fear, unable to focus on his person as her tears blurred her vision.

“My name is Kylo, I was traveling to Takodana and became lost in these woods. I heard you, and came to offer my assistance.” He stepped closer to her as he spoke, prompting her to swing at him with her makeshift weapon. Jumping back he squeaked out, “I promise, I mean you no harm. I just want to help.”

She seemed to accept his response to some degree, as she dropped the shovel, following it to the ground, collapsing into tears once more.

“Please, how can I help you?” He moved to kneel next to her, placing a hand upon her shoulder.

“My mother, she’s dead,” Rey sobbed out, barely forming the words around her cries. Pausing, she took a deep breath to quell the tremors and continue, “I’ve had to keep her in the shed while I prepared her grave, but it’s too deep. I can’t just drop her in!” her pitch increased towards the end of her statement, losing herself in her grief once more.

Kylo glanced around, noticing the large hole for the first time. Getting up he walked to the grave and looked down. “Will you allow me to assist you?”

She turned to look at him, dashing the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand so that she could see him more clearly.

“It’s deep, but if I climb down into it, you can hand her to me, and I can lay her gently within, then I’ll climb out, and we can cover her together. Do you think that will work?”

She sniffled, taking in his handsome features for the first time. “Really? You’d do that? I don’t have anything I can give you in return.” She began to stand up once more.

“Do you have any food?” He asked.

She nodded, “Not much, and I’ve been so busy trying to dig this that I haven’t had a chance to cook, but if you stick around, I should be able to throw a stew together.” 

“Then that should be more than sufficient. I’ve been lost for quite a while out here, and I’m starving.” He smiled at her reaching towards her with his hand out, “Do we have a deal?”

“We do,” She replied, reaching out to clasp his warm hand in her own. When their skin met, something happened. A shock shot through her body, causing her to feel dizzy. “Did you feel that?” She looked up into his face to discover him gaping down at her, shock clear in his face.

“What did you say your name was?” He asked in awe. 

“I didn’t, it’s Rey.” She said, sniffling once more.

“How very strange…” He shook his head, “Anyways, shall we do this?” He moved to lower himself into the grave.

“Yes, of course, thank you so much.” She stood by as he situated himself, once settled she reached over to lift Maz. The woman had always been very small, and her recent illness had left her thinner than usual, so she was not a difficult burden to carry, physically. Kylo lifted his arms to accept the woman from her, Rey leaned forward placing a kiss on the blankets covering her mother’s face, before gently placing her within the arms of the stranger who’d offered to help her.

Kylo took the body from her arms and reverently settled her onto the floor of the grave, he made sure that she was completely covered, before hefting himself out of the sepulcher and returning to Rey’s side. “Did you want to say anything?” He prodded gently.

She roughly rubbed at her nose, nodding. “Maz didn’t have to take in this sickly child who’d been abandoned by her real parents. She certainly didn’t have to love me like I was her actual child. But she did. She loved me enough that the rest of the world meant nothing, and that love built me into who I am today. It helped me to flourish. I only hope I can make her proud of whatever I accomplish with what’s left of my life. I love you, Mama.”

She looked up and noticed Ben looking at her strangely, before he nodded and said, “I’m sure you brought much joy to her life. It sounds like her love saved your life. That’s true love.”

She smiled at him a little watery, before moving to where she had dropped the shovel earlier and picking it up. Returning to the graveside, she pushed the shovel into the mound of dirt and began to cover her mother once and for all. 

Kylo noticed how much of a struggle this task was for Rey, catching her fighting back the tears once more as she worked. He reached out to remove the tool from her grasp, “Please, let me do this for you. Why don’t you go start on that stew?”

Her eyes were full of appreciation she was unable to vocalize. “That’s a good idea, thank you. If you are sure.” 

“Absolutely sure.” He nodded in the direction of the house and then took over the laborious job she’d just been doing.

It took him much longer than she anticipated to finish the task, but she wondered if he did that on purpose to give her a chance to compose herself.

She had just begun spooning the stew into bowls when he knocked on the front door of her cabin. “Come in, Kylo.”

He entered the small space, making it seem even smaller as he ducked down to avoid hitting the door frame. 

“You have a lovely home, Rey,” he said glancing around. 

“Thank you, it’s not much, but as you know, it’s been full of love, and that’s all the luxury I ever needed.” She looked wistfully around.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I said a blessing over her.”

Her eyes became glassy with tears once more. “That’s so kind of you, thank you.” 

He nodded, accepting the bowl she held out to him. She gestured that he sit at the table, before placing her own bowl in front of one of the chairs and retrieving a loaf of bread. 

“The bread is a little hard, but if you dip it in the stew it softens up nicely.” She demonstrated this for him.

“I don’t mean to pry, Rey, but I’d like to know more about you and Maz. How did you come to be with her?” He asked curiously.

“She found me wandering the forest all alone as a very small child. She took me in and cared for me. My parents thought I was not their real child, that the fae folk had replaced me with one of their own, and saw fit to dispose of me before I brought ruin upon them. They were kind enough to leave a note begging for the return of their actual daughter though.” She said all of this nonchalantly as if it was nothing more than a bedtime story and not her own life.

“What made them think you were a changeling?” His brow furrowed harder than it had previously been.

“I was sickly, but with proper care, food and medicine, I got better. To be honest, since Maz took me in, I have never been sick once. So maybe, it was just that they weren’t very good parents.” She gave him a conspiratorial look.

“I wonder, how much do you know about Changelings and the Fae?” 

“Honestly, not much. Maz told me a little, about how they are mischievous creatures and they often switch out human children with substitutes to cause trouble. The substitutes typically don’t survive, or disappear.” She paused trying to remember all the details she knew.

“That’s a good baseline knowledge. The thing about changelings is, if they are true replacements, a fae baby for a human one, they typically do die. Because the human family is incapable of loving what they can feel deep down isn’t their child. But if anyone can truly love that fae child, they survive, and often even flourish.” He explained.

“You speak as if you think changelings are an actual thing.” She said somewhat incredulously.

“They very much are, dear girl. And do you want to know something else?” He leaned in towards her, pulling her attention so it was solely on him.

“What?” She was genuinely smiling now, not even the echo of pain at the loss of her mother lingering in her eyes. She thought this was all a joke.

“You are absolutely a changeling.” He said smugly.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous!” She threw herself back in her chair, pouting.

“I’m not, Rey. It wasn’t just your cries that brought me here today. I could feel your pain in my soul.” His face was all too serious, and she began to wonder if he might be telling the truth or if he was just absolutely crazy.

“Rey, I’m not Kylo.” He paused, rolling his eyes, “Well, yes I am. But I have another name. My birth name. Benjamin Organa Skywalker Solo, Crown Prince of the Underground.”

“The Underground?”

“Yes, the Kingdom of the Fae.” He was dead serious.

“You are insane.” She looked at him shocked.

“No, it’s true. And now that Maz is gone. It’s imperative that you come with me.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “Oh it is, is it? And why’s that?”

“Without her love, you’ll begin to deteriorate. You need magic to stay alive in the absence of love.”

She was waiting for him to finish the joke, but he seemed to honestly believe what he was saying. “You’re insane. I thank you very much for your help, but I think that you should probably leave now.”

“Oh, Rey, I really don’t want to do this, but you are forcing my hand.” He did look very sorry.

“Forcing your hand?” She cried indignantly, her anger blinded her to her surroundings. She missed him reaching into this pocket and pulling something out, taking a deep breath to continue her tirade at the same time as he blew a handful of dust into her face. She choked on it before collapsing against the table, just barely missing her still half-full bowl of stew.

Ben stood, moving to her side to gather her in his arms, before exiting the cabin and moving off into the night.

~~~

Sometime later, Rey awoke in what had to be the most comfortable bed she’d ever laid in. Looking around she took in the bright beautiful room she’d been left in. Something moved in her peripheral, and she quickly turned in the direction, noticing a beautiful older woman for the first time, sitting next to an ornate fireplace.

“Ah, you’re finally awake, sweet girl. I had worried that my foolish son had used too much fairy sand and you would sleep for a few hundred years. He never did have the patience for learning precision in magic. I’m Leia.” The woman smiled kindly as she arose and moved closer to the bed.

“Where am I?” Rey asked, her head still rather foggy.

“The Underground. Surely Ben told you?” Leia looked aghast that her son had kidnapped this girl without filling her in on the truth.

“He may have mentioned it, but I pretty much assumed he was nuts. How is this possible?”

“Well dear heart, it would appear that you belong here. Many years ago, my idiot brother stole a Princess of a rival fae clan and disposed of her in the human world. She was meant to marry my son and unite our kingdoms. As it stands, her loss, and the destruction of her Grandfather, a truly evil leader, crippled the kingdom, and they joined our fold peacefully. However, the people still mourn their princess. You, my dear.” Leia’s hand reached out to grasp hers.

“Are you trying to imply that I’m some kind of missing fairy princess?” This woman was clearly as insane as her son.

“It is a fact, dear.”

“This is an awful lot to take in, you must understand.” Rey reached up with both of her hands to rub at her temples.

“I do. Is there anything I can get for you?” 

“If you could just tell me where your son is, I’d like to have a few words with him.” Rey began to move from the bed, throwing the blankets off of herself and noticing the fine gown that had replaced her simple cotton dress for the first time.

“He’s probably in the south tower, he likes to go there and brood. I’ll take you to him.” Leia helped Rey stand from the bed, and held her hand firmly as she led her out of the room.

As they walked down gilded hallways, Rey took in her surroundings with awe. She’d never seen such a beautiful place before, ornately decorated hallways surrounded by large windows displaying the most glorious views of red and orange leafed trees. A hazy quality seemed to hover over everything, and yet the details were all very clear and precise like it was more of a feeling than an actual fog.

Leia watched her as she took it all in, continuing to lead her on. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?” She said with a laugh.

“It truly is.” Rey barely paid her any mind as she continued to turn and observe as much as their clasped hand would allow.

“I hope with time you’ll be able to love it here, maybe even remember some of it. I know you were very young when you were taken, so that is probably not very likely.”

“You speak as if I’m going to be staying here. Once I speak with your son, I intend to return to my home.” Rey looked at Leia defiantly.

“Rey, honey, I’m sorry. You can’t return. If you go back, you will die.” Leia stopped them both and attempted to appeal to her.

“Even so, I can’t let my mother’s home go to ruin. I must go back and take care of it, besides, even if it does kill me, what is there really to live for anyway?”

“Oh Rey, you can’t mean that, and you know how Maz would react to hearing that. Please, I beg you to reconsider.” Leia implored her.

“You speak as if you knew Maz at all. You can’t know that she’d be upset.” She straightened defiantly.

“First and foremost, I am a mother, and I know how any mother would react to hearing that. Secondly, Maz was a friend of the fae. How do you think she was able to care for you the way she did? She knew of your weakness to iron, knew you needed her love to survive. She loved you because she wanted to, but she also knew that it’s what kept you alive.”

“Wait, you’re telling me that it’s no coincidence that I was wandering in that forest? That I was meant to be with Maz from the start?” Rey was shocked.

“My brother may have been an idiot, but he also knew that you needed to survive. He wanted to make sure that you had your best chance.”

Rey swayed as she was overwhelmed by this revelation, causing Leia to lead her to a bench off the side of the hallway to rest a moment.

“From your birth, you were destined to marry my son, if anything had truly happened to you, he would have perished as well. My brother knew that a distraction was needed to finally end your evil grandfather once and for all, and so he took you. But he knew I would end him if anything happened to my son, so he made an effort to ensure your safety.” Leia went on to explain. “You are meant to rule this kingdom by his side, Rey. He’s lost without you.”

Rey quirked a smile, a silly notion flitting through her mind. “He said as much, I suppose.”

The two women sat in silence for several long moments. Finally, Rey took a deep breath and rose to her feet once more. “Alright, let’s go see this son of yours.”

Leia led her the rest of the way, pausing once they reached the door to the south tower. “Go on, I’m sure he’s working himself into a tizzy worrying about you.”

“Thank you, Leia,” Rey said, before opening the door and slipping inside.

She followed the winding staircase, up and up and up, until finally, a doorway loomed before her. There was no door, just an opening which led out onto the walkway of the tower. Quietly stepping out, she noticed him immediately, leaning against the stone wall, looking out over the scenery with a scowl on his face. 

Her body moved without her permission, marching straight up to him, arm raised. The strike to his face caught her off guard, bringing her back to herself immediately. She brought her stinging hand up to cover her mouth gasping as he looked at her in surprise.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” she gasped, before pausing. “No, I did mean to. How dare you steal me away like that. You had no right.”

He nodded sagely at her. “I can understand why you’re upset, but I had to do it. You weren’t listening to reason, and if I didn’t bring you here you would have died.”

“Right away?”

The question caught him off guard. “What?”

“Was I at risk of keeling over at any moment? Was that why you had to so brutishly knock me unconscious and steal me away without considering that I may just have needed some time to take things in? I had just lost my mother, after all, brains not exactly running on all cylinders right now.” She crossed her arms in defiance.

“I, I hadn’t thought of that. I mean, no, you did still have some time, but I was afraid.” He confessed, the sadness creeping into his eyes as he recalled the memory.

“Afraid?”

“You wouldn’t believe me. I was afraid that you’d kick me out and not allow me to return to continue to try and convince you. I thought that if I just brought you here, you would realize that it was all true.” He refused to look at her while he made his confession.

“And it was so imperative because?” She prodded him, looking for him to tell her the truth.

“I have known since the moment of your birth, Rey, that I was going to marry you someday. You may not have grown up with that knowledge, but I did. From the moment you were taken I worried that I’d never see you again, but I knew, as long as I was still alive, so were you. I held on to each heartbeat knowing that someday I would find you again and we’d be together. Our lives are tied to one another, it’s a bond that does not happen often, but it’s a beautiful thing.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just want to make sure I survived because you wanted to keep on living?” She accused.

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t want to live in a world without you in it.” He had huddled close to her now, lowering his head to stare ardently into her eyes.

“Why?” She asked shakily, “You don’t even know me.”

“I know your soul,” he reached out and grabbed her hand, placing it over his heart. “And you know mine. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and feel. You’ll know this to be true.”

She did as he instructed, eyes fluttering shut and breathing slowly in. She focused on the feeling of his heartbeat under her fingertips. There it was, a soft comforting heat, familiar and safe, pushing into her from where her hand met his chest. Gasping, she opened her eyes, staring directly into his.

“You feel it, don’t you?” He asked, face lighting with a small smile.

“I do.” She breathed.

“I’m begging you, Rey, please stay, get to know me beyond this bond that we already share, marry me.”

She took several long moments to think about what he was asking, taking into consideration what she’d be leaving behind and what she could possibly be gaining. Before nodding, a large smile blooming onto her face. “Ok, I’ll stay.”

He pulled her into a tight hug, before loosening his hold and reaching a hand to her face. Gently guiding her head up, he lowered his own to meet her in a sweet kiss, full of promise of a full life together.


End file.
